By Emmanuel Kwada
Incumbent Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has delivered a devastating blow to his rivals, winning a second term in the 2025 Anambra governorship election with 422,664 votes – more than four times the tally of his closest challenger.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate swept 20 of the state’s 21 local government areas, leaving APC’s Nicholas Ukachukwu trailing far behind at 99,445 votes and YPP’s Paul Chukwuka with 37,753.
The trio accounted for 559,862 of the 584,054 valid votes cast in Saturday’s poll, underscoring a race that was over almost before it began.
Declaring the result in the early hours of Sunday, INEC Returning Officer Professor Nnenna Oti said total votes cast stood at 603,271, with 19,217 ballots rejected.
Soludo’s only blemish came in Awka South LGA, which went to the APC, but the margin elsewhere was merciless – in some councils the governor polled over 40,000 votes to his rivals’ combined total of under 2,000.
Speaking at Government House shortly after the declaration, an elated Soludo declared: “Ndi Anambra have spoken with one voice. This is not my victory; it is yours.”
Both Ukachukwu and Chukwuka swiftly conceded, with the APC candidate stating, “The people have made their choice. We accept it and move forward together.”
Election observers praised the largely peaceful conduct, though pockets of vote-buying were reported in Onitsha and Nnewi.
Soludo will be sworn in for his second term on March 17, 2026, cementing APGA’s iron grip on the state it has governed uninterrupted since 2006.
